


Marines Do It Better

by misura



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-02
Updated: 2012-05-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 17:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Join the Marines, get signed up to play tour guide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marines Do It Better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [entwashian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/entwashian/gifts).



They don't tell Dusty the name of the visitor she's supposed to be playing bodyguard to until about five minutes before her arrival. Dusty doesn't let it bother her much - she figures that in this kind of case, 'bodyguard' is just a nice way of saying 'person to follow someone around to make sure (s)he doesn't touch anything that's not for touching, eat anything that's not for eating, see anything that's not for seeing or hear anything that's not for hearing'.

Given what she's heard about Larrin, she can probably add 'protect Colonel Sheppard's virtue' and 'make sure Atlantis doesn't get hijacked or something' to the list.

Luckily, Dusty's quite good at her job. Ooh-ra.

 

"Question," Dusty says, because Sheppard's told her to _be polite_ (even if he'd sort of half-grinned back at her when she'd asked _'you're kidding me, right?'_ ). "What's with the bondag barbie look?"

Because hey, power to anyone who crosses wits with Sheppard and comes out on top (twice, even, assuming you count tying a guy to a chair as 'coming out on top') but that 'look at my cleavage!' black leather outfit? Not practical.

Like, what, nobody's going to be aiming higher than your stomach anyway, so you might as well not put on anything there?

"I don't understand the question." Larrin understands the tone of voice, though. _Nice glare of death._ And here Dusty was thinking this assignment might be _boring_.

Should have put a bit more faith in Sheppard's judgment, clearly.

"Doesn't really look like what you've got on is real comfortable for moving around in. You know, running, shooting, that kind of thing."

"It's not."

"So then why?"

Larrin smiles a sharp smile. "Politics."

"Well, as long as it's not for anything _stupid_."

Softer now - some things, clearly, are universal. _Politics. Fuck me._

"So how about you?" Larrin asks. "You dress like this all the time?"

 _'Be polite,'_ Sheppard had told her. _'Well, mostly polite.'_

"You're kidding me, right?"

 

"My room's got windows," Larrin says.

Dusty wouldn't have minded windows herself; this isn't one of those places where having a window is the same as putting out a sign saying: 'please toss bombs and grenades in here'.

View'd be a little boring, probably, but Dusty's outgrown the desire for 'interesting' two or three lifetimes ago. People who want interesting might join the Marines, but they tend not to live too long.

"Nice view?"

Larrin shrugs. _Travellers_ , Dusty thinks. _Spending your whole life on a ship, and then you come down to talk to the guy whose ass you kicked three times in a row, and he puts you in a really luxurious room with windows. Sheppard, you devious bastard._ An edge is an edge, after all. _Politics._

 

The food seems to meet with approval bordering on enthusiasm, at least.

"We trade where we can, but fresh food is a luxury." Larrin makes an attempt at casual disdain.

"Some guys swear that if you eat 'em long enough, field rations actually start to taste good," Dusty offers. "Got all the nutritients growing boys and girls need. Says so on the wrapper."

"Hm." The way field rations taste is probably universal, too, at least as long as you're talking human troopers. "So what's next?"

"Dessert," Dusty says. "Obviously."

 

"How'd you like a promotion?" Sheppard asks. His hair doesn't look any messier than usual, so apparently, Larrin's decided to go easy on him this time.

Trying to lure him into a false sense of security, possibly. "Kind of suspicious," Dusty says. "With all due respect, sir."

"Huh," Sheppard says. "Okay, well, here's how it is. We're going to be working a bit more closely with Larrin and her people for a while, so we're going to have some of our people tag along with her as she presents things to their council. Now, Larrin specifically asked for me, but that's not going to happen."

"Kind of a let down for her, don't you think, sir?"

Sheppard's _easy_. Tough when it counts, and a damn fine officer in charge - knows what he's doing, even, most of the time, which took some getting used to, given his gender, but essentially easy.

Clearly, he also knows his weaknesses when one of them's prancing around Atlantis in black leather.

"She'll live," Sheppard says. "So how about it? Want to see some new, exciting places?"

The answer to that one's pretty obvious, Dusty reckons.

Even so.


End file.
